@hardknockspod: He took apart the family computer at 7 years old. By 16, he had sold two tech companies. He grew up on food stamps. John Imah’s parents immigrated from Nigeria and slept in their car before they could afford a place to live. John taught himself to code, built companies online with people who had no idea how old he was, and by 16 had two exits under his belt. He split the money equally among everyone who helped him. He owned 100% and did not have to. He did it anyway. From there, he went on to work at Samsung, Amazon, Twitch, Meta, and Snapchat without ever applying for a single job. Every company came looking for him. Then he walked away from all of it to build Spree AI, now backed by $60 million with partnerships at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and the backing of Anna Wintour. In this conversation, John breaks down: -How he sold two companies before his voice dropped and what that taught him about leadership -What years inside the biggest tech companies in the world actually taught him -The exact problem Spree AI is solving and why fashion retail is one of the most broken industries on the planet -Why being one of very few Black founders in tech became his edge -Why good entrepreneurs solve problems and great entrepreneurs find the right ones This episode is not about technology. It is about what no money, no blueprint, and no ceiling produce when someone refuses to stop. 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: Search "School of Hard Knocks Podcast John Imah"

School of Hard Knocks Podcast

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Saturday 27 June 2026 14:24:10 GMT